


We'll Be Swinging, Swaying, Shaking

by noelre



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Domestic Bliss, Established Relationship, Fights, M/M, Married Couple, Married Life, Mood Swings, Mpreg, Pregnancy, Pregnant Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 03:49:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3366638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noelre/pseuds/noelre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A day in the life of Kazunari, whose stomach has grown to the size of a mountain, and Shintarou, who will never underestimate the power of hormones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We'll Be Swinging, Swaying, Shaking

**Author's Note:**

> Half a week ago I threw out an idea on Tumblr to write about a pregnant Takao; I haven't written male pregnancy in years. The final inspiration boost to write this came from [Narshe](http://that-narshe.tumblr.com/) who is just ruining my life with perfect ideas. Here, have the pregnant Takao we talked about. Also to everyone who needs some mpreg to their life!

As the day sneakily slipped past noon, Shintarou began to prepare herbal tea and followed the instructions given to him to the very dot. He brewed it exactly three and half minutes, and then pulled it off the stove, and let it gather flavor inside the pot. Whilst he waited for another three and half minutes, he tried to search for Kazunari’s favorite mug, and felt the first twinge of terror pierce his body. The mug was gone. As his heart ticked fast in his chest, he frantically searched every cupboard, until he realized to check the dishwasher. There the wretched thing was, and Shintarou glared at it with narrowed eyes. Checking the time, he hurried to wash it by hand, dried it, and placed it on the counter right on time. The color of the tea was slightly questionable, but he made sure no leaves nestled to the bottom. A dash of honey, and Shintarou felt proud of himself.

 

Walking towards the bedroom, however, made the pride sink right through the floor and leave him breathless. The bedroom was like a dragon’s lair, only deadly if your quest included waking up the beast within. He tried to brush the thought out of his head (Kazunari surely wouldn’t appreciate his effort of joking first thing after waking up) and instead reminded himself of the vows he had recited in front of all their family and friends. Shintarou took a deep breath and stood behind the closed door, hesitated. He didn’t really love this moment at all, and usually he didn’t even have to be responsible of waking Kazunari up. However, this was his only day-off of the week, and he didn’t want to spend it loitering around while waiting for his husband to wake up.

 

Hardening his mind for the upcoming trial, he knocked softly few times. When no answer was given, he pushed the door open with his shoulder and stepped inside.

 

It was hardly dark anymore, when the sun that had climbed high up the sky focused its rays towards their curtains, and the light seeped in. In the haze of the noon Shintarou eyed Kazunari’s sleeping figure and dried to moisten his dried lips. The covers had been kicked on the floor, and the round bump tried to reach towards the ceiling, hardly succeeding. Like a starfish Kazunari took most of the bed, a hand resting on his swollen belly, and an uncomfortable look plastered on his face. Ready to make him feel a little bit better with fresh tea, Shintarou tiptoed closer and sat on the edge, and set the mug on the nightstand. Carefully he brushed some of the dark hair behind his lover’s ear and rubbed his forehead. It merely gained sleepy grumbles, but wasn’t enough to awake Kazunari. Shintarou nudged his shoulder as gently as he could, a little frightened to know what kind of mood would overtake the man today.

 

He repeated the gesture, yet only on the fourth time did the man stir. A loud groan echoed in the room, and with great difficulties Kazunari rolled on his side. The belly seemed to stretch out even more than normally, and Shintarou examined the shape of it through the thin fabric of the pajama top. Kazunari had grown _huge_ , which was something Shintarou had stopped saying after the fifth month simply because he wanted to keep their relationship intact as well as all his limbs still to himself. With the side of his thumb he rubbed Kazunari’s shoulder and murmured, “Morning. You should probably think about getting up now.”

 

It took a while for Kazunari to crack his eyes open, but when he did, he lifted his head a little up to look at Shintarou. After another grumble he buried the side of his head back to the pillow and wrapped a lazy arm around Shintarou’s waist. He protested, “I don’t want to…”

 

“But you should.” Shintarou tried to keep his tone as neutral as possible with a hint of softness in it. As soon as he would start to argue, Kazunari would show him who exactly ran the system in this house. He worked his fingers through the slightly dirty hair and stroked his forehead. “It’s already noon, and we should head to the supermarket. Or if you really want to sleep longer, I can go by myself—“

 

“I don’t want to be alone again,” Kazunari whined. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, and blinked several times until he could keep looking at him. Looking up at Shintarou with puppy eyes, he worked his hand over his own hip and rubbed. “I want to spend the day with you.”

 

“In that case, why don’t you get up? Look, I made tea to help you wake up.”

 

“Is that what smells so bad?” Kazunari wrinkled his nose. “I don’t want that, it smells like vomit.”

 

“It’s herbal.” Shintarou swallowed down a great sigh that wanted to escape. “My colleague’s wife drank it during her pregnancy, and apparently it helped with the pain and soreness.”

 

The man huffed and rolled on his back. “I don’t think some stupid tea is going to help with _this_. They kept kicking me the entire night… They still are!”

 

“They’re probably just getting impatient, just like all of us.”

 

“Well, they better come out exactly when the doctor told me, or I’m going to cut them out myself,” Kazunari snarled and grabbed Shintarou’s wrist. “Give me your hand.”

 

Kazunari guided Shintarou’s hand on top of the bump, and then moved the palm around. Shintarou let him take his time, and eventually found his fingers right on the curve of the underside of the stomach, close to the man’s crotch. Without a word he pressed his hand a little tighter on the spot – Kazunari moved his own on top of his – and waited. Indeed, they kicked, presumably both of them (he couldn’t tell them apart through the skin like Kazunari could in a heartbeat), and the little motion made him smile like the proud father he was going to be within a month. At the same time it was such a weird feeling to know that here his twins were, kicking against the thick skin, letting both of them now that they were alive and healthy and perhaps a bit more energetic than necessary. Although he was all smiles for once, Kazunari pouted as he pressed the back of his head to the pillow and groaned.

 

“I just want them to stop having a private rave in my stomach,” he complained.

 

“Soon they will,” Shintarou tried to soothe and stroked the smooth skin.

 

Kazunari lifted his skin and sulked. “You need to talk to them.”

 

Shintarou stopped his hand near the navel. “What?” With widened eyes he looked at his lover and shook his head. “No, I’m not going to talk to them, we need to get going.”

 

“You need to talk to them,” repeated Kazunari, this time through his gritted teeth. “They’re only going to calm down if they hear their daddy’s voice, that always helps!”

 

Pulling his hand back to himself, Shintarou took a sharp inhale. “Kazunari, really, we should…” He trailed off when he noticed Kazunari’s bottom lip tremble, and from the small gesture knew that he had ruined the whole thing. If only he had kept his mouth shut at the right time.

 

“Why are you so against it?” Kazunari’s eyes filled with tears. He slapped Shintarou’s hand away when the man tried to slowly bring it back to the belly, and sniffed loudly. “Why don’t you want to talk to them? I knew that you hated the whole idea of me being like this, you don’t even love your own children! You should have worn a condom, you selfish idiot, you can’t even love _me_ enough to talk to your—“

 

“I’m going to talk to them now,” Shintarou hurried to say. The last thing he wanted on his agenda was a hurricane of hormones, and so he climbed on the bed and settled his head close to the stomach. It was enough to make Kazunari close his mouth for the time being, and Shintarou offered him a weak smile and brushed off the tears from the reddening cheeks. Secretly hoping that no one would have invented hormones and all the mood swings that came with them, he pressed his hand gently back to the highest peek of the belly and rubbed it. It wasn’t about not _wanting_ to talk to the babies, it was a matter of not knowing what the hell to say. He cleared his throat and sucked in his lip, until he mustered out, “Hello. Uh, if you could stop… kicking your dad, that would make me very happy—“

 

Kazunari wailed. “Why do you talk to them like they’re just a bunch of strangers!”

 

Shintarou cringed and was quick to give the man an apology, together with a small kiss on the back of his palm. Once Kazunari looked pleased again and even worked his fingers through his green hair, Shintarou started again, “Um… hey, daddy here… I know you’d love to get out already, and me and your dad would love to see your little faces already, but we all need to wait a bit longer…” He glanced up at Kazunari to check whether he was doing a good job, and took Kazunari’s relaxed features and closed eyes as a sign of agreement. Sighing from relief, he collected his thoughts for a second and decided to make it even better. “Should I sing for them?”

 

“Oh, yes, please,” Kazunari breathed.

 

So Shintarou did, sang a little lullaby his mother had taught him and rubbed the overgrown belly with gentle movements. On the underside he made sure to pay special attention to the reddened stretch marks that had carved on the skin the advancement of the pregnancy one month at a time, and it seemed that Kazunari liked it; he let out quiet throaty noises that resembled purrs and kept brushing Shintarou’s hair. The babies no longer kicked under Shintarou’s palm, but he still decided to sing another quick lullaby to be on the safe side. Once he rolled his voice to the final note, he looked up and met with Kazunari’s gaze.

 

“That was so hot,” Kazunari whispered.

 

Shintarou frowned. “What?”

 

“It’s so hot when you talk to them.” Kazunari’s voice sounded heated. He slid his fingers to Shintarou’s cheek and trailed vague shapes over the skin. His upper body a little up, he rested on his elbows. “Hearing you talk to them like that made me kind of horny… It’s so sexy when you’re being all father-like.”

 

Shintarou should have stopped being surprised about the things that were a turn on for Kazunari; once they had watched a nature documentary about mantises, and as the female one devoured her partner, Kazunari had been more than ready to have sex. Shintarou breathed through his nose and pushed himself up. “We should get going, though…” he carefully tried, but couldn’t help but feel a twitch in his pants as he saw Kazunari biting his lower lip. He couldn’t properly remember the last time they had had sex, mostly because of his busy schedule and Kazunari’s ever-changing moods. He was a little excited, after all. He hesitated a moment and crawled properly beside the man. “If we do it, will you _then_ get up?” he coaxed.

 

“I promise… Baby, I promise, but now I just… _Nn_.” Kazunari moved back on his side and tried to guide Shintarou behind him by yanking his arm. Once Shintarou got the hint and lined his body with his, Kazunari looked at him over his shoulder and gave him his best bedroom eyes. “I really want your cock in me,” he whispered.

 

Shintarou’s spine tensed immediately and then tingled so very pleasantly. He breathed harder, and the thoughts of the tea getting lukewarm and having to do the groceries dissolved from his mind. He moved his hand on Kazunari’s bottom that had turned rounder and lusher throughout the months; he merely had to stroke the shape of it through the pajamas to make his husband mewl and moan. “I suppose we can have a quick one,” he murmured to Kazunari’s ear. A little fun wasn’t going to harm anyone, surely, and it was also so very rare that they ended up in a situation like this.

 

“I don’t care if you do it quick or slow or fast and really hard, I just want you.” Kazunari stretched his hand behind his back and settled it on Shintarou’s hip. “Can you just _hurry_?”

 

Never one to defy his pregnant lover’s commands – he had found it rather dangerous to disobey –, Shintarou leaned towards the nightstand and grabbed the lubricant. He popped the cap open and smeared the sticky liquid on the ends of his fingers, and uncovered Kazunari’s bottom. The man in front of him squirmed and offered his bottom even more to him, and Shintarou couldn’t resist the temptation, not when it was given to him on a silver platter. Yet with all the love in the world he rubbed the puckered, tender skin before he even thought about nudging the first finger in. When he did, Kazunari moaned loud, and the sound traveled straight to Shintarou’s cock. He pressed his chest against his lover’s back and kissed his nape. Over shoulder he watched Kazunari rub the shape of his belly, a little protectively, but also rather sensually. Idly wondering if it had become an erogenous zone on its own, Shintarou didn’t want to bother with that, and instead slipped his free hand on Kazunari’s chest.

 

One thing he knew that Kazunari liked was the toying of his nipples. Before, they hadn’t been anything special, but during the pregnancy the little nubs had swollen and turned more sensitive, and now that Shintarou rolled one of them between his index and middle fingers, Kazunari squirmed and thrust his hips sluggishly forward. Rather proud of himself, Shintarou still concentrated on moving his finger deeper inside the burning hot flesh and then pulling it back just enough to curl the tip around the quivering ring of muscle. Kazunari whimpered, like he so often did when the babies kicked or did something else that made him scream for Shintarou, and pushed his bottom out more.

 

“You can… stop preparing me,” he moaned, almost _begged_.

 

“Are you sure?” Shintarou asked. He circled his finger around the tight ring and plunged it a bit deeper to rub it along the inner walls.

 

“Y-Yeah… I might get out of the mood if you don’t hurry…”

 

It would have been really inconvenient, Shintarou realized, and pulled the finger out at one go. He slipped his pants and boxers mid-thigh and worked his hand fast on his own cock, pumped fiercely, and seeing Kazunari’s curves right in front of him made his dick harden within moments. More than ready to go, he slicked his erection with a generous amount of lube, and inch by inch eased himself in Kazunari. First Kazunari let out a high-pitched moan, and Shintarou worried of hurting him; but when the moans turned longer and dragging, he knew he was good to go. He pushed his whole length inside and took a moment to appreciate the tightness and warmth that his dear husband provided to him. Concerned that Kazunari really might drop out of the mood without further explanation, Shintarou wrapped his arm around the swollen stomach and held it gently as he made the first thrust.

 

It surely seemed that Kazunari was into it, after all, as he sounded more aroused and arousing than before. Shintarou pressed his forehead against Kazunari’s nape and made sure that every movement he made was gentle and loving; he wasn’t going to be the one to ravage Kazunari before the pregnancy would end and the man fully recovered from it. He rolled his hips forward, slowly, and still the sound of his balls slapping against the bare skin trickled to his ears and made the situation a little bit better. Breathing heavier, Shintarou nudged one of his long legs between Kazunari’s and parted them slightly more. As Kazunari groaned and chanted his nickname like he was put under a spell, Shintarou rubbed the sensitive skin that clad over the stomach that protected their little babies and did an amazing job at it. His heart turned erratic and almost irresponsible, and sweat broke over his brow.

 

Over Shintarou’s hand Kazunari settled his, squeezed the fingers and then entwined them together. Shintarou grumbled and squeezed his eyes shut, and tried not to finish so fast. It was almost impossible, though, because for weeks he had settled things with his hand, which he didn’t mind, but the real thing was totally different. He felt pre-cum ooze from the very head, and rather smoothly his length moved in and out of the flesh that gaped open for him and then tightened around him when necessary.

 

“Does it feel good?” he murmured in Kazunari’s ear, his voice husky and broken.

 

“Y-Yes!” squealed Kazunari in return and squeezed Shintarou’s fingers tighter. “Yes… Yes, babe, please… T-Touch my cock…”

 

Immediately Shintarou curled his fingers around the base of the hardened cock that nestled right underneath the belly and gave it harsh tugs. They made Kazunari squirm and moan even more, and Shintarou knew that he was making up for the little slip of a tongue from earlier. The undersides of his fingers soon turned wet from cum as Kazunari dipped over the edge so very loudly that Shintarou was sure that their neighbors knew exactly how horny his lover had been. He kept pumping the cock and milking out even the finest of drops, before Kazunari yanked his hand away as he quivered and shuddered like a sudden wave of cold had hit him. Confident that he had done a proper job, Shintarou focused on finish himself, and eventually found release within the cradling warmth of Kazunari’s body.

 

He swallowed hard and let his breaths swirl to Kazunari’s ear. Kazunari sounded exactly the same, out of breath, and his skin had turned a little damp wherever Shintarou ran his fingertips over. The same skin was on goose bumps, and they felt especially lovable over the stomach. Shintarou made sure to give love to the stretched, exhausted body that was probably ready to collapse from all the strain, and gave several kisses on the joint of Kazunari’s shoulder and neck. Kazunari hummed so very softly that it sounded dreamy again, and Shintarou had to check over the man’s shoulder that he hadn’t fallen asleep.

 

He was ready to lull in the bliss for a lot longer. Then, he made the mistake of checking the time, and took back his words immediately.

 

“Kazunari,” he gently called. Surely the man would now oblige… “We should get going.”

 

“I want a bath.”

 

“What?”

 

With great difficulties Kazunari turned around in Shintarou’s embrace. The belly came in between them, and Shintarou had to shuffle backwards to give the grown body more space. Kazunari looked at him dead in the eyes and repeated, “I want a bath.” Then, he specified, “A bubble bath.”

 

Shintarou’s expression twitched, but he made sure to keep it intact and not explode. It wouldn’t solve anything, and in worst case it would make Kazunari cry and they could never leave to the store. He reached his hand and gave a nice rub on the stomach. “Why don’t you take a nice, warm, _quick_ shower now,” he coaxed, “and I’ll draw you a nice bubble bath after we’re back from the supermarket? We can even buy you those scented things for it, if you want.”

 

Kazunari thought for a moment. “Alright.”

 

“I’d be very pleased if you also did it _now_.” Shintarou pushed himself to sit up and grasped enough tissues to clean himself up. “I’ll go get everything ready in the meanwhile, and you only need to take the shower and pull some clothes on, and then we can go.”

 

“If you really cared about mine and the babies’ hygiene, you’d let me take a bubble bath, though.”

 

Finally, Shintarou’s expression turned to a cringe.

 

Kazunari, however, giggled as he worked himself to sit up. “I’m just joking, Shin-chan. Give me ten minutes.”

 

Not sure whether he quite appreciated such a joke or not, Shintarou remained on the exact spot to watch his lover walk with the speed of a turtle out of the room. From behind he wouldn’t have necessarily guessed that Kazunari’s body harbored a set of twins inside; only his hips had widened, not overly noticeably, either. Shintarou spared a moment longer to look at shadow of the figure, and then hurried to wipe himself clean to the tissues and pulled his clothes back on. Rushing out of the room to do what he had promised and get everything ready, he gathered the necessities and also tidied their home as he listened the gush of shower.

 

Finally, on the eight month, Shintarou had gotten used to the whole twin business (or, as Kazunari liked to call it, _buy one get one for free_ ). He hadn’t necessarily bargained to have two babies instead of the one planned, but life seemed to have a funny way to throw oddballs at his direction, and here he was, surrounded by sets of two of everything starting from toys to highchairs. If there was one thing Kazunari loved, it was to shop for the babies, and Shintarou allowed him. Five minutes later of busying himself practically with nothing, he watched Kazunari prance from the bathroom back to the bedroom with a large fluffy towel around his body. The door closed, and Shintarou wished that it would open soon as well. Time was slipping too fast towards afternoon, and the later it got, the more people would be in the supermarket. It was the precise reason why he had wanted to do the shopping in the morning, but he had betted too much on Kazunari waking up at a reasonable time. He shook his head and toyed with his wedding ring, and stroked over its smooth surface.

 

Twenty minutes later, there still wasn’t any sign of Kazunari. Shintarou sat on the couch with a jacket on and felt rather hot. His patience ran out, and then snapped without a forewarning.

 

“Kazunari!” he called and tried his best to sound like a loving husband, but it was a sad effort. “Could you please hurry up? We need to get going!”

 

Within ten seconds Kazunari yanked the door open and stepped out with a reddened face and a sullen sulk. Not sure what had taken his lover so long – he was dressed in the usual denim overalls, after all, and the only difference was the Shutoku-orange t-shirt underneath –, Shintarou looked at him and pressed his lips flat. Kazunari huffed and puffed and settled a band to push back his bangs, and walked with his stomach first, his back a little curved. He rested a hand on the spot where his navel most likely was, and stopped in the middle of the room.

 

“I’d love to see you try and carry even one of them for few minutes and walk with the speed you want me to walk!” he snarled as Shintarou got himself up on his feet. “You’d cry like a fucking baby yourself within those few minutes, so shut up and let me carry this damn weight as slow as I want to.”

 

“That’s not what I was saying,” Shintarou defended himself. Still worried that he came out too harsh, he added, “You look very pretty.”

 

“I look like a _mountain_ , Shintarou, so your opinion is invalid.”

 

Shintarou rolled his eyes and quickly looked elsewhere, but offered his hand to Kazunari nonetheless. It was taken and squeezed so very harshly that it nearly brought tears to Shintarou’s eyes, but he endured and helped Kazunari slowly move towards the hallway. He got down on his knees to help the shoes on the man’s feet one by one, and grabbed a coat along even when Kazunari refused to wear it. Wondering whether the hormones inside his husband were messing with him on purpose, Shintarou grabbed the car keys, and they began their slow descent down the staircase and to the car.

 

As Kazunari plopped on the seat beside the driver’s, Shintarou looked at him and the lips that were still curled on a small pout. The day when the babies would be out and Kazunari less of a mess would be the day when he would feel incredibly happy and relieved. He had promised to stay with the man beside him through all the ups and downs of the life, but when all those bumps in the road seemed to happen within twenty-four hours, Shintarou started to question his sanity. But one look towards the pregnancy glow splattered across Kazunari’s face (although Kazunari would have loved to deny its existence), and Shintarou knew this was worth everything.

 

He pulled on the seatbelt and waited Kazunari to do the same, but the man didn’t move a muscle. The corners of Shintarou’s mouth tensed, and nicely he asked, “Could you put on your seatbelt, honey?”

 

Kazunari groaned and crossed his arms loosely over his chest that was the only remaining flat part of his body. “I don’t want to, it presses against my bladder, and I’d have to use the toilet as soon as we get to the supermarket.”

 

“Just put on the seatbelt, please.”

 

“But I don’t want to.”

 

Shintarou huffed through his nose. “This car won’t move a single inch until you put on the damn seatbelt, because I’m _not_ risking the safety of the three of you for the sake of your stupid bladder.”

 

Kazunari grumbled, but still pulled on the belt.

 

“Thank you,” Shintarou said, his voice a little calmer now but his insides still trembling. He squeezed the wheel until his knuckles turned pale, and started the car. Now that he had a sulking husband beside him, he made sure to drive more carefully than usual, and even let Kazunari choose the radio channel they’d listen. Of course it had to be one filled with sappy love songs, but Shintarou endured it. All of this felt like a dangerous calm before the actual storm full of thunder and lightning, and he hoped that neither of them would reach that point.

 

Stopping to the traffic light, Shintarou moved his hand on Kazunari’s lap and stroked his denim-clad thigh gently as a small token of apology. A smile illuminated Kazunari’s face again, and the man even leaned closer to give Shintarou a kiss. Although the kiss was quick and fleeting, it was enough to make Shintarou smile as well, and the twitch of a mouth remained even when he had to focus on driving safely again. One of his hands Kazunari brought to Shintarou’s thigh in return and stroked the chosen spot, and the other he kept against his stomach and rubbed it in a way that to Shintarou looked soothing. He wondered whether the babies were kicking again, and hoped it wasn’t the case; he knew how much pain it brought to Kazunari, and the last thing he wanted was for his lover to go through more ache.

 

As soon as Shintarou found a good enough spot from the supermarket’s parking lot, Kazunari announced, “I need to pee.”

 

Shintarou should have guessed. He sighed softly. “Do you want me to come along?”

 

“I can handle it on my own, although I clearly _told you_ that the belt presses against my bladder and makes the babies really uncomfortable.”

 

“Better to be uncomfortable than die in a car crash,” Shintarou dryly said. “Go to the toilet, I’ll go to the store already, just come and find me.”

 

“Got it.”

 

Shintarou watched the difficulties Kazunari had as he pushed himself out of the car and onto his legs. He really wanted to offer the coat to the man but didn’t, after all, although Kazunari shuddered wearing nothing but the t-shirt when everyone else buried themselves in thick winter jackets. Kazunari swayed from side to side like a little penguin, and Shintarou had to admit that he really looked endearingly cute. Once his husband finally disappeared through the supermarket’s sliding doors, he got out as well and shadowed the man’s steps, but took the turn towards the store instead.

 

Pushing a shopping cart through the crowded aisles, he knew he should pay attention to the hastily written shopping list rather than thinking whether Kazunari was going to be all right or not. He couldn’t help but worry, he always did, because sometimes Kazunari could be such an airheaded idiot – the hormones surely weren’t helping his case, either. Absentmindedly he stared at the selection of meats and swallowed in a heavy sigh. About to ask for the minced meat, he suddenly realized that Kazunari would refuse to be in the same room with him if he would cook it. Thus Shintarou chose two nice pieces of salmon, got them wrapped, and placed them at the bottom of the cart. He wasn’t exactly sure what he should make for dinner, yet the endless list of ingredients that Kazunari had come to hate during his pregnancy played in the back of his mind. Definitely no parsley or ketchup – those two would give him days’ worth of silent treatment. Shintarou pursed his lips and turned around on an aisle, nearly hit two young boys that were settled right in the middle of the floor, and had to turn around to take the longer route towards the dairy.

 

In the midst of trying to decide whether to choose the healthier version of cooking cream or the one that Kazunari preferred, he heard ‘Shin-chan’ being chanted nearby. “Here,” he called, put the fattier cream to the cart and turned around, only to find Kazunari load things down as well. They were the usual he always frowned upon, chocolate bars, an ice cream bucket, but eventually Kazunari hugged a turnip against his chest and grinned sheepishly.

 

“Can we get this?”

 

“You want that?” Shintarou frowned to his lover’s nod. “Just one?”

 

“ _Yes_.”

 

Shintarou nodded, and so very happily Kazunari settled the turnip down like it was one of their babies about to go to bed. A sigh rolled in his mouth, and Shintarou did allow it to escape once Kazunari clung to his arm and walked along with him. He tried his best to stick to the list he had made, but it was difficult to fight against Kazunari’s trembling bottom lip whenever he strutted away from him and came back with something ridiculous, like one single star anise or five packets of kiwis that he had never been fond of before. Shintarou didn’t have the heart to decline, and like a little child Kazunari followed his cravings one by one. Once he was back by his side, Shintarou wrapped an arm around his rounded waist and kept a good hold of him, and glared at anyone who looked like they were remotely thinking of bumping against Kazunari’s swollen stomach. It was his responsibility to be sure the three loves of his life were safe, and he happily accepted it.

 

Stopping near the dry ingredients, he suddenly said, “I think I forgot to get your yoghurt, go get it, and make sure it’s low-fat.”

 

“But I like the one with more fat,” Kazunari whined.

 

“You already have your ice cream, go on. And grab the cereal as well, I never get the brand right.”

 

It made Kazunari perk a little, and off he went with steps swaying from one side to another. Shintarou concentrated on going through his list one by one and knew for sure there were more in the cart that they actually needed. He couldn’t even remember anymore exactly how many weird things Kazunari made him buy, and eventually one third of everything was eaten. But he rather liked to pamper his husband, not that he would have ever said that aloud. The thought, however, brought him to the conclusion that he should bake some sort of a cake to go with the ice cream. He was already about to turn the cart around, when running steps echoed behind his back, and to his horror he found Kazunari to be the one making them, too fast for his size. Shintarou stared at the sight with widened eyes and was ready to plunge on the floor face-first to save the man from hurting himself, but Kazunari found his way safely by his side, albeit a little out of breath. Yet tears circled the eyes that looked up at him, and Kazunari tugged his sleeve.

 

“What’s wrong?” Anguish carved its way to Shintarou’s voice as he moved his hand over Kazunari’s arm and held him closer.

 

Kazunari sniffed loud and couldn’t hold back the first tears from falling down. “They don’t have my cereal!”

 

Shintarou’s heart sank to his knees, simply because Kazunari looked so sad over a silly little thing like that. He took a deep breath and decided to take the route of being a loving husband again. “Let’s go take another look, maybe they’ve moved them somewhere else and you simply missed them,” he tried to soothe and wrapped an arm back around Kazunari’s waist, and gently guided him towards the too familiar aisle.

 

“But I’m not blind, Shin-chan!” Kazunari wailed and attracted some of their co-shoppers’ attention. Shintarou gave apologetic yet tense smiles here and there, and felt slightly more at ease once they arrived in front of the impressive selection of different cereal boxes. But Kazunari still sniffled in his embrace and even hugged him the best he could despite the belly getting in the way. “Just look at them, Shin-chan, they don’t have my cereal,” he softly cried against Shintarou’s chest.

 

Shintarou rubbed the man’s back along the spine with big movements and felt the stomach press against his own. He didn’t pull Kazunari back, though. “Just calm down and take a deep breath, and look through again,” he muttered, and this time didn’t care that an elderly woman gave him a harsh stare at the end of the aisle. Kazunari refused to move, and Shintarou couldn’t hold back a sigh. “Come on, which one do you like, the yoghurt-coated ones?”

 

Against his chest Kazunari nodded.

 

Shintarou hummed and stepped closer, which was an effort on its own when Kazunari stayed glued to him like a leech. He scanned the selection, and his pulse thickened. If he could get through this crisis, he could get through anything for sure. Still holding Kazunari against his chest, his breath labored when he certainly didn’t see anything that looked remotely familiar. Once he spotted another brand with something that surely looked like coated cereals, he was ready to be his husband’s hero as he reached for the box.

 

“Look, how about these? Don’t you think these would taste exactly the same?”

 

Kazunari peeked from the safety of the chest and huffed when he saw the box. “It’s not the same!” he argued and even rutted his foot against the floor like a young boy. He pressed his palms against Shintarou’s chest and pushed himself farther away, and crossed his arms, took a defending and wide position. “You don’t understand! I need to make myself breakfast every single morning because Mr. I’m-an-important-doctor isn’t there to look after his family!” Kazunari shouted so loud that his voice echoed; people stopped to watch, and Shintarou’s cheeks steadily got a glow of heat on them. “It’s so easy for you to try to shove some disgusting other brand to me when you’re not there to watch me try to eat just to please you!”

 

“Kazunari…” Shintarou tried with a hushed voice.

 

“You’re so busy and absorbed in your own stupid world that you can’t even remember that I don’t like any other brand! You’re so stupid, why did you even bother to marry me instead of your work?!”

 

Shintarou took a step closer and stopped right in front of his husband. “Please don’t do this to me in public,” he whispered.

 

Kazunari let out a joyless laughter. “Now you’re even… I can’t do this, Shin-chan, you won’t let me do anything I want! Just break up with me and throw your stupid ring out of the window, I don’t _care_!” His nostrils flared as he attached himself right against Shintarou and shoved his hand inside his jacket. Through his gritted teeth he snarled, “Give me your car keys.”

 

“What?” Shintarou tried to stop Kazunari, but the hands under his jacket were too fast for him. Before he could really do anything, the keys tangled in Kazunari’s grasp and then disappeared within the iron lock of the man’s palm. His heart stopped breathing when Kazunari marched away from him. “Don’t you _dare_ to drive, do you hear me?” he shouted behind hm.

 

Kazunari stopped mid-aisle. “I don’t even have a license!” he screamed, his voice nothing but a teary mess, and so very slowly he stomped away together with his grown stomach.

 

Dumbfounded, Shintarou stood still, frozen from head to toe. He tried to come up with a reasonable explanation of how Kazunari’s logic had reached from cereal to a breakup, but knew that he wasn’t going to find any. He sighed and tried to ignore the judging looks on the by-passers – he was fairly certain _they_ didn’t live with a growing mass of hormones every single day – as he returned by the cart. He stayed still and glanced at the ring on his finger, and shook his head. _As if_ he would simply throw it out of the window together with all the years together. Hoping that Kazunari would be in a better mood once they’d reunite and, most importantly, that he hadn’t done anything stupid, Shintarou hurried through the last aisles but stopped to the ones with books in it. Usually he would have browsed for paperbacks to himself, but now he paid more interest to the children’s picture books. He frowned lightly and took one with dinosaurs in its covers, and didn’t hesitate at all to chuck it in the cart.

 

Once he was done paying and loading everything to plastic bags that was really a job that Kazunari was more skilled at, every step towards the parking lot made Shintarou’s feet just an ounce heavier. He prayed to every deity he knew that the car would still be where he left it and that the man would be intact. What would he do if Kazunari did something stupid over a petty fight that he could have solved if he had paid more attention to his choice of words? A hard lump rose to Shintarou’s throat and he couldn’t swallow it down. Not only would his husband be dead but also their little twins nestling in the safety of the stomach that had done an incredible job of holding the fortress up for months and months… Cursing the fact that he was always too quick to judge, Shintarou couldn’t breathe. However, when he saw the car on its place and Kazunari on the front seat, a huge stone rolled off his chest.

 

He opened the door to the backseat, and already his ears were nearly ripped off by the loud tunes of a gooey love song. Shintarou bit his bottom lip and rushed to set the bags on the seat, and circled around the car to the driver’s seat. Once he eased on it and took a good look of Kazunari, his heart throbbed painfully. Tears coated Kazunari’s cheeks, his body pushed against the chair by the seatbelt, and he cried so desperately to the woman cooing about love and passion on radio. Feeling like the worst partner in the world, Shintarou closed the radio and now heard Kazunari’s cries even harder than before. _Miserable_ would be a word he’d use to describe his lover at the moment as he buried his face to his palms and tried to bend his body, but the stomach got in the way. It only made Kazunari wail even louder.

 

“Kazunari…” Shintarou whispered and moved his hand on the man’s knee, and squeezed reassuringly. “Don’t cry, honey, please.”

 

“I’m so sorry!” Kazunari nearly screamed through his sobs. “I didn’t mean to say that, I’m sorry, Shin-chan! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t leave me! Don’t leave me, I can’t do this on my own, I can’t, I can’t…” A new wave of sniffles and sobs that turned into hiccups swallowed the rest of the words.

 

“I’m not leaving you.” Shintarou leaned towards the other seat and took Kazunari in his embrace. He pulled the man’s head to his chest and stroked his back, and gave him several kisses on the cheek and forehead. “I know you didn’t mean it, calm down,” he murmured and pressed a more lingering kiss in Kazunari’s hair. “It’s just the silly hormones talking, don’t worry about it… But you shouldn’t scare me like that, I thought you’d do something stupid.”

 

“I-I’m sorry,” whispered Kazunari.

 

“Shh, it’s okay now. We’ll go home and draw you that bubble bath you wanted, and you can take your time in there and relax.”

 

“Mm,” Kazunari whimpered.

 

Although Kazunari’s face was soaked with tears and snot, Shintarou still made sure to kiss the tip of his nose and then the lips. So many times they’d have silly arguments that would make no sense, and every time Shintarou would try and make Kazunari come around. It seemed that today was a success as well, but he kept his lover in his arms five minutes longer before he was absolutely sure that they were all right, and then peeled back. Kazunari still looked rather gloomy as he fiddled the fabric over his thigh with his head hung down; seeing him encouraged Shintarou to create the best possible bath there possibly was.

 

The bath was constantly on his mind, and the thought only strengthened by the time they reached home. Shintarou helped Kazunari up the stairs and to the safety of their hallway, and only afterwards dragged the bags with him. The groceries were the last thing on his mind, though, as he moved a firm arm back around Kazunari’s waist and guided him to the living room. “Just sit there few moments, all right?” he told him and pressed another kiss on his forehead. “I’ll go draw the bath for you.” He took the steps towards the bathroom and stopped midway when another great idea hit him. “Hey, how about I get you a champagne glass and fill it with apple juice, so you can feel fancy? I’m sure the babies will love it, too.”

 

“Yeah,” Kazunari muttered with a tiny voice.

 

Shintarou offered him a hasty smile. First he occupied himself with the bath, made sure it was nice and warm and full of water and smelled especially nice (not roses, though, because he knew Kazunari had hated that scent since the first months; instead, he chose lavender), dimmed the lights and then ushered his lover in. He hurried to the kitchen, picked up the nicest champagne flute they had and filled it with sparkling juice. His steps were stumbling as he got back to the bathroom, and there his dear husband was, lulling in the water, the bump of a stomach above the surface but covered with bubbles that Kazunari rubbed over it. Shintarou’s expression softened to the sight, and he tiptoed the final inches separating them and offered the glass to the man.

 

“Here you go, honey.” He made sure his voice was sweet and gentle, because that was what Kazunari deserved. Working his fingers through the still dry hair, he stroked the side of Kazunari’s face. “Now try to relax. I can give you a foot rub afterwards.”

 

Kazunari curled his free hand around Shintarou’s arm and tugged him downwards. “Come here with me.”

 

Shintarou frowned lightly. “Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah. Please.”

 

Only for a fleeting moment did Shintarou think it through. “Let me just move the groceries to the fridge first, I’ll be right back.”

 

Five minutes later he was ready, undressed, and holding the picture book. Thinking it was the cherry on top of the cake – or so he liked to think –, Shintarou stepped back to the bathroom. Immediately he attracted Kazunari’s gaze to him, and he smiled and held up the book. “Look what I got for you three,” he announced. At first Kazunari looked so very confused, but when Shintarou stepped closer, his lover’s expression brightened, and he sealed his mouth with a palm. Afraid that it was going to make Kazunari cry again, Shintarou hurried to explain, “Apparently it’s a book about dinosaurs and something, I just thought I could read it to them.”

 

It was hitting two birds with one stone – he would be talking aloud to the babies like Kazunari wanted to, and he didn’t have to feel too awkward if he didn’t know what to say. Smiling a bit wider than before, Shintarou eased himself to the bath behind Kazunari and let him slip between his legs. It took some moments to find the perfect position, but when they did, their bodies simply locked together like they had been molded like that in the making. Shintarou moved one hand over the belly and rubbed it, let the babies inside now that he was going to protect them no matter what, and gave a kiss on Kazunari’s ear.

 

“You don’t even know how wonderful you are,” Kazunari murmured and looked at him over his shoulder. They shared a small kiss, and underneath Shintarou’s palm the little ones kicked, one each. Kazunari chuckled softly and leaned his head against the man’s chest, and rolled his eyes shut. “Could you read the beginning of the book? I want to know about the dinosaurs.”

 

“Sure.” Shintarou reached his hand to the floor where he had put the book, moved his hands on both sides of Kazunari, and opened it so that they could both see the colorful illustrations. The water caressed his skin, the bubbles sucked on his body, and with Kazunari against him, it felt like nothing could be wrong no matter what would happen. He cleared his throat and stroked Kazunari’s stomach with one hand, and asked, “Are you ready, babies?”

 

“I’m sure they are,” Kazunari answered instead.

 

“Good.” Shintarou took a deep breath, craned his neck and began. “Once upon a time, there were two dinosaur friends. They liked each other very much…”


End file.
